NATCHITOCHES: The Louisiana Small Business Development Center Northwest & Central Region (LSBDC NWCR) joins the City of Minden and a consortium of other partners in establishing “a unique and historical approach” for a Collaborative Economic Development agreement. The announcement will be made at a press conference on Thursday, October 26 at the Northwest Louisiana Technical College at 9500 Industrial Drive in Minden at 11:30 a.m.

Minden Mayor Tommy Davis said, “Minden is a community of homegrown businesses. This initiative enables us to continue that tradition.”

LSBDC NWCR Director Dana Cawthon said this collaboration is a great opportunity for the LSBDC to spread its reach into the rural communities.

“The LSBDC NWCR is always glad to be able to get into the small communities and help stimulate jobs, and start businesses,” Cawthon said. “There are a lot of great gems that come from small community businesses.”

The Collaboration is an initiative designed to help entrepreneurs with starting or expanding a business in Minden, and Minden’s Economic Development Director James Graham said the combination of nine organizations make this unique: public and private, nonprofit and for-profit, federal, state, municipal and local financial institutions have joined forces to leverage their respective resources to help ensure that business startups and new expansion projects stand the test of time in Minden.

“No other community in Louisiana has marshalled together so many different resources in one place, at one time to help individuals living in one community to fulfill their personal dream of being a successful business owner,” Graham said.

Louisiana Economic Development (LED) has changed its small business lending criteria to make it easier for small businesses to be eligible for acquiring State-backed loans. Furthermore, LED has decided to coordinate its small business development programs through Minden.

“The Collaboration should be viewed as a pilot demonstration project that may be duplicated in other parts of Louisiana,” Graham said.